Chapter Sixty-Eight: The Mage Tower and the Pact of Abyssal Summoning

As he was about to leave, Lando casually asked, "Mentor, I haven't seen Alice in a while. I heard some time ago that she went traveling—do you know how she's doing now?"

Odo fixed his gaze on Lando, and only when the latter turned his head away in embarrassment did Odo chuckle and say, "Why don't you reach out to her yourself?"

"I did, but she didn't respond," Lando replied, a bit dejected.

"Oh, I forgot—she's currently unreachable. Her family prepared some treasures for her, and she's in the midst of absorbing them. But she'll also be attending the World Laboratory event in half a year; at the latest, you'll see her then."

"I see!" Lando's spirits lifted at once.

"Hey, kid, you’re not seriously thinking of pursuing Alice, are you?" Odo asked.

Lando considered for a moment. "I'm not sure."

Odo seemed briefly taken aback. "Well, in that case, you’d better think it through. Not only does she have an overprotective father, but she’s also surrounded by many suitors. You’re good, but right now you’ve only just qualified to join the competition."

"Don't worry, Mentor, I’ll give it serious thought."

...

The days that followed were relatively uneventful. The only surprise for Lando was that the development licensing fees, originally agreed to be paid within a year, were all paid in full by Toru within just a month.

At the academy gates, Toru respectfully handed a wristband to Lando.

"Master Lando, this is the last batch of materials. Please inspect them."

Lando glanced over them casually and smiled. "It's been a pleasure working with you. I hope we’ll have more opportunities to collaborate in the future."

After a brief exchange of courtesies, just as Toru was about to take his leave, Lando suddenly spoke, "You know, I’ve always had an interest in antiques and history. Since coming to Silver Tower and witnessing the vast cosmos, that interest has only grown stronger. I wonder if you have any antiques, relics, or curious oddities on hand—items from any world would do."

"You’re interested in those as well, sir? If you mean those unidentified objects that can’t be appraised, I wouldn’t get my hopes up—many schools and laboratories have been seeking them for years. But if you’re looking for antiques and relics from other worlds, that’s much simpler. If you’re interested, our Moore Trading House can help you find some."

Lando didn’t show too much excitement, merely thanking him casually.

When he first arrived in this world, Lando had been as wary as a small animal guarding a precious treasure, using his cheat abilities with great caution for fear of drawing trouble. Now, however, things were different. Even if his peculiar tastes seemed odd to others, he no longer cared. Ultimately, it was his growing power and broadened horizons that gave him such confidence.

It was much like how an ordinary person who wins five million in the lottery might show up in a heavy coat and mask, terrified of being recognized, while a billionaire winning the same amount might simply cash in the ticket without a second thought.

Moreover, since gaining access to Odo’s laboratory, Lando had tested items capable of extracting souls. They bore no trace of the arcane soul residue as described in theory; the so-called soul armament extracted by his system seemed to be something much deeper. This discovery made him abandon his initial plans to engage with the necromancy school, so he hadn’t followed up on the Brasso lead recently. On the other hand, Hanna was now enrolled at the newly established Magic Academy. With Lando's influence, she should be the first to undergo testing once the detection instruments and resources arrived.

Upon entering the laboratory warehouse, he released the materials from his ring. Many such materials had already piled up here, along with some high-grade resources needed to build a magic tower—all belonging to Lando. Thanks to the unexpectedly rapid payment, he had already placed considerable orders through the academy.

The type of magic tower would, of course, be mobile. What troubled Lando most now was its appearance.

Arcane Garden? Arcane Cottage? Arcane Airship?...

These templates were roughly equivalent in overall rating, differing only in minor details. It wasn’t necessary to choose a fixed template, and one could customize the appearance as desired. Lando had seen plenty of bizarre designs. But designing one from scratch required recalculating and determining the anchor points and allocations for the magic arrays—a task he was certainly capable of, but for which he lacked the motivation.

In the end, he chose the classic tower structure. Though it was slower than Carter’s airship model, it offered the most reasonable configuration. As for means of travel, he could always build a ship later.

Wealth! Indulgence!

The lowest level was for summoning and binding arrays, generally concealed, their main purpose being to summon abyssal demons—a tradition inherited from ancient times. The only disappointment for Lando was the need to comply with the Abyssal Summoning Covenant, an imperial decree with consequences far more severe than a simple fine if broken.

Since the great expansion of the Arcane Empire, many beings once seen as nemeses by ancient magicians and sorcerers had been eliminated or tamed by arcanists. The abyss was no exception. What once seemed unfathomable now appeared far less daunting to the empire’s elite.

Entire layers of the abyss had become proving grounds for grand arcanists. It was the darkest era for demons. Eventually, even the most prolific demons could not withstand such relentless exploitation, and only then did the empire belatedly issue the Abyssal Summoning Covenant. It specified not only the number of demons an arcanist of each rank could summon monthly, but also stipulated that, for any of the dozens of rare demons detailed within, experiments must not threaten their lives or inflict permanent harm. Afterward—or within a month—they must be released back to the abyss.

Arcanists have a duty to cherish every rare wild demon! —Abyssal Summoning Covenant

(Without the suppression of the gods, just how far could arcanists go? This was a question I’d pondered for a long time. One day, when I thought of the abyss, a vivid scene sprang to mind.

In the abyss, once called bottomless, every plane now bears its own number. On one such plane, magic towers rise from the earth, and sometimes floating cities drift overhead. Well-equipped, powerful demons herd new batches of wild demons into cages—soon to be the property of their masters.

The will of the abyss occasionally flares into rebellion, but most of the time, it is tame, with ever-lengthening intervals between upheavals.

Now, the grand arcanists of the empire are grappling with a new topic: what, exactly, lies at the very bottom of the bottomless abyss? Their debates are often heated and unending.)

PS: In such a world—are you satisfied, dear readers?